Going Back to School

For most of us, we hope that when we retire, we will find the time to relax, but that is really not true. My friends and I are very busy in our retirement and finding time to relax is still a problem. This may surprise many of you who are looking forward to your time to relax as you plan to or think about retirement. Let me explain, we are now busy doing things that we love, which may be pursuing our hobbies, travelling, volunteering, or working (part-time) but not many of them are just relaxing and letting life go by. 

For some of us, retirement isn’t just a time to lay the goals of life down it is a time to look back over life at our unfinished challenges and then go back and finish them.  I have two degrees and am proud of the work, time and energy I used to complete them. Many of my friends do not have a degree and they have an unfinished goal to go back and get that degree. 

When I taught at the University of Phoenix, I was not surprised to see young and senior adults, taking courses to finish their bachelor’s degree or start and finish a master's or PhD. Working with those students and helping them achieve their goals was a highlight of my career. I understand how big a challenge it is to go back to the classroom and get that certificate, especially when you do it after you have retired.

So why do it?  This may be a question your friends ask when they see you going after such an ambitious goal so late in life.  But when you think about it, you may be a bit offended by the question.  Implicit in this ageist question is the implication of, “What is the point of you getting a degree since you are not going to do anything productive in retirement and you are so close to death?”

Many of my friends started entirely new careers after they retired.  With the advances in medical science today, it is a given that most people live 20-30 years or more “in retirement”.  That is plenty of time to accomplish great things.  So, starting out this era of life with a good education makes just as much sense as it did when you left school and started out on your first career. 

 This is not to say that going back to school is going to be easy.  If finishing your high school degree is the goal, and going back to school is not an option, then taking a High School Equivalency program may be the answer. Every country has this type of program it may be called a GED or an ABD or an HSED o HED so you may have to do an online search to see what is available where you live.

The social situation you may face in a college classroom, or school may be a challenge.  You will have to get used to being in the classroom and listening to lectures, reading textbooks, taking notes, doing papers, and taking exams all over again.  If you go after an advanced degree and take several classes, you will be a very busy senior citizen just keeping up with your studies. Most colleges or universities that offer programs to adults understand that these adults may not have the skills needed, so they may offer courses on how to learn.

But there are some joys you can expect from going after an advanced degree.  If you decide to take day courses, instead of online or evening courses, college life and being on a college campus each day is by itself a very stimulating environment.  Being with young people each day can be energizing and you may find yourself looking and acting as much as the youth you “hang out with” as you do your fellow senior citizens.

When I watched students at the University of Phoenix cross the stage, I could see the pride of accomplishment on their faces. Talking to them and their family at the reception after the ceremony, I could see the pride and joy that radiated throughout the room, and it was uplifting.

 If you are finishing your high school or bachelor’s degree, congratulations, it takes hard work and sacrifice to achieve that goal. However, don’t be surprised if you fall in love with academic life.  As an educator for over 43 years, I believe that learning is tremendously addictive, and you may wish to go on for yet more studies in fields of learning that have always fascinated you. 

If you want to study for the pure joy of learning, there are free or lost cost alternatives for you, However, nobody will turn away your tuition dollars if you just want to be in college for the pure joy of learning.  And you will be an inspiration to your family and your grandchildren as well as students when they see you succeed and they tell themselves, “If Granny/Grandpa can do it, so can I.”

 

What exactly is Dementia

 Dementia, a group of disorders characterized by a decline from a previously attained cognitive level that affects activities of daily living (ADL) and social functioning, poses one of the greatest global challenges for health and social care in the 21st century.

In 2015, dementia affected 50 million people worldwide (or roughly 5% of the world’s elderly population, i.e. those above the age of 60 years). The number of people with dementia is expected to increase to 82 million in 2030 and 152 million by 2050 with the estimated proportion of the population aged 60 and over with dementia at a given time between 5 to 8% 1 because dementia rises exponentially during old age and the world’s population is ageing. These projections assume constant age- and sex-specific prevalence of dementia over time, and, accordingly, the steepest rises are expected especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), where the demographic changes will be more marked.

Dementia is a major cause of disability and dependency among older people worldwide, and it has a significant impact not only on individuals but also on carers, families, communities and societies. Dementia accounts for 11.9% of the years lived with disability due to a noncommunicable disease (NCD) worldwide. Dementia leads to increased costs for governments, communities, families and individuals, and to loss in productivity for economies. The annual global cost of dementia is estimated to be US$ 818 billion (OECD, 2015; WHO, 2017b). Nearly 85% of costs are related to family and social, rather than medical, care (GBD 2015 Neurological Disorders Collaborator Group, 2017). Most health systems are ill-equipped and under-resourced to respond to the current needs associated with dementia. Thus, societal ageing and the associated increases in dementia prevalence will likely have major health-service implications for the care of people with dementia and support for affected families.

There are many different causes and types of dementia. Primary dementias include dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia (in which the decline in cognitive abilities itself is mostly due to an underlying neurodegenerative process and not directly caused by other etiologies). Alzheimer's disease is the most common, followed by vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. Mixed dementia with features of more than one type is also common, especially in older adults, while frontotemporal dementia is a less common form but relatively more frequent before old age.

Secondary dementias are those caused by, or closely related to, some other recognizable disease, such as HIV, head injury, multiple sclerosis, thyroid disorders or vitamin B12 deficiency. In these secondary dementias, cognitive impairment is typically accompanied by symptoms and signs in other organ systems and the treatment focuses on the management of the underlying disease.

Conquering the Food Budget

One of the things that take some getting used to as a senior citizen is living on a fixed income. And even if you have a healthy retirement, investments, a 401K plan and Social Security benefits, when you stop working, your income comes out of that nest egg which is a diminishing bucket of funds. So, anything you can do to protect your money and economize means your money will last longer, be there for you when you have an emergency or be available for fun things which is what retirement is all about.

If you are able to continue to prepare your own food, you are already well ahead of the game because one big expense for any budget is the food budget. And if you are buying food for a spouse, older children still at home or you are helping to raise the grandkids, you can see a food budget that can get out of control. So it pays to come up with some tips for how to slash that food budget but do so in a way that does not hurt the quality of food you eat or feed your family.

The economy begins at home so you can do a lot before you even go to the grocery store by learning to use everything you buy. An investment in some quality storage units so you can keep leftovers fresh or keep fresh vegetables or fruits on hand will help you eat everything you buy and cut down on waste. In fact, if you like to garden, you can even take the organic waste such as coffee grounds and apple cores and make your own compost which can go into your garden to grow your own food next spring.

But the key to saving money at the grocery store is to be a smart shopper. Remember that grocery stores stock lots of items that are made to appeal to people who want convenience over low prices. So you can save a lot of money by avoiding fast foods, frozen foods or “TV dinners” and buying the ingredients to make your own meals every day.

Being a smart shopper also means knowing when and where to shop and how to find the good values in food and grocery supplies at the store. Some core principles of smart shopping are:

·       If you can buy in bulk – do it. Most items are cheaper at the unit cost level if you buy larger quantities. So, if you can buy and store more food at once, you can take advantage of those savings.

·       Avoid impulse purchases. Stores carefully place items that are appealing so you will buy higher-priced items. Work from a list and stick to your list.

·       Slice your own cheese. Pre-sliced cheese comes at a higher price. Buy a good cheese knife, buy cheese in blocks, and slice it yourself.

·       Buy fresh produce. Fresh foods are not only better for you, but they are also cheaper.

·       Know your town. Each grocery store has certain categories they do best at outselling the others. Know what stores are good with produce, with meat and with everyday savings and create your shopping lists accordingly.

·       Know your store. Each week, your store marks down certain items in preparation for the weekend. Routinely they will slash the prices of fresh meat to get rid of last week’s supply in preparation for the higher-priced specials for this week. If you know when that stuff hits the shelves, you can score big savings and freeze what you buy to use over the next few weeks.

·       Know your items. Learn your price points of what is a good price for each item on your list. Try to buy under those price points so your budget is controlled.

·       Buy store brands.

·       Use coupons.

·       Leave the grandkids home. Children will add dozens of items to your shopping cart and slow you down. Leave them out of the picture and you won’t have to buy their impulse items and the trip will go faster too.

By being a smart shopper, you can stretch your food budget and see impressive savings on what you spend on groceries. And that helps you stretch your retirement savings which mean a longer more prosperous retirement and one that is more worry-free as well. And that is worth the extra effort.

Tours around your City

Some spring and summer ideas for you and your grandchildren. Tours of local attractions take place regularly, but you can organize your own tour with just your grandchildren or with a few other families in your neighbourhood. You may be surprised by what companies and organizations will provide free tours of their facilities.

The fire hall is always intriguing too young and old alike. If you call your local fire hall and speak with the fire chief, he will be happy to arrange a time for you to stop in. They will show you around, let them see inside the fire engine and if there is time you can see a fireman in all of his gear. Not only is this fun, but it is also a safety precaution. You will have to be prepared for the tour to be cut short if an emergency is called in.

Your local postal outlet may provide small tours too at no charge. Call ahead and ask to speak with a manager and ask if you can stop by and show your grandchildren what happens to the mail after it is dropped in the mailbox. The volume of mail that the post office handles and the machines that are used to sort letters are sure to fascinate the kids.

The grocery store or supermarket will conduct tours for you and your grandchildren. The manager of each department (deli, bakery, produce) will let them know what they do to provide fresh food to the customers. Each department plays a very different role in the store, and this can be an educational trip for everyone. Most times the grandchildren get to leave with a cookie or other goodie from the bakery department.